Oregon officer Jeff Brown resigns

Oregon City Council on Monday unanimously approved a separation agreement

with Oregon police officer Jeff Brown, who submitted his resignation following an investigation that he allegedly violated police department policy.

“He’s no longer an employee of the City of Oregon,” said Mayor Mike Seferian outside of the meeting.

Brown had been on paid administrative leave since late January while the city looked into allegations that he lent Oregon police equipment to a friend for Halloween.

As part of the separation agreement, Brown will receive 90 days salary. He is prohibited from filing a lawsuit against the city, and the city will not challenge his right to unemployment compensation with the state, said Seferian.

Brown will also not be able to challenge the agreement to gain back his employment.

Brown had originally asked for 120 days of compensation, while the city wanted to pay 60 days as part of the agreement, said Seferian.

“We decided to go with 90 and just get it over with,” said Seferian.

Had he not resigned, Brown would have been fired on Monday, Seferian told The Press.

Seferian said the matter could have gone to arbitration if Brown was fired, or refused to resign. Had that happened, it would have cost the city more in legal fees than the cost of the separation agreement, he said.

Prior disciplineBrown was suspended for 20 days last September after an internal affairs investigation showed he had repeatedly and illegally used a Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) to gain information about Tanya Hernandez, an ex-girlfriend, over a two year period.

He was also reprimanded for interfering in the private business or affairs of Vicky Ferris, a teacher at St. Patrick of Heatherdowns Elementary School. She had contacted police on May 28 to complain that he had allegedly portrayed her as a convicted felon, which threatened her employment.

Ferris and Hernandez had filed complaints with Oregon police alleging Officer Brown, the son of former Mayor Marge Brown, was harassing and stalking them.

Brown was blocked from using the Northwest Ohio Regional Information System (NORIS) and LEADS for six months and was suspended from the Special Response Team (SRT) for six months.

Allegations that Brown had sex with a woman while he was on duty in 2002 were substantiated by the investigation, but were dismissed because of the absence of a report on the matter.

Nichole Rhoades had alleged she and Brown had sex in Fire Station No. 2 on Wheeling Street, at the Comfort Inn, in the playground area of New Harvest Church on Seaman Road, and in the parking lot of Coy School on Wheeling Street while Brown was on duty.

On October 12, ex-Police Chief Tom Gulch told city council before a packed room that Mayor Brown, who was defeated weeks later by Seferian, had tried to interfere on several occasions while he was investigating her son.

Gulch spoke after council unanimously agreed to lift a clause in a separation agreement he had with the city that banned him from speaking negatively about the city administration. Ex-Councilman Bill Myers had asked council to lift the clause after he read about it in The Press.

undocumented

Should undocumented immigrants, brought to the U.S. as children, also known as "Dreamers," be allowed to stay in the U.S.?

Yes. They consider the U.S. their home

No. They should be deported, then apply for citizenship the legal way.

Yes. With conditions. They have a job or going to school, pay back taxes, and are contributing to society.

Yes. They consider the U.S. their home
(5 Votes)

35.71%

No. They should be deported, then apply for citizenship the legal way.
(2 Votes)

14.29%

Yes. With conditions. They have a job or going to school, pay back taxes, and are contributing to society.
(7 Votes)

50%

2032473620[{"id":"241","title":"Yes. They consider the U.S. their home","votes":"5","pct":35.71,"type":"x","order":"1","resources":[]},{"id":"242","title":"No. They should be deported, then apply for citizenship the legal way.","votes":"2","pct":14.29,"type":"x","order":"2","resources":[]},{"id":"243","title":"Yes. With conditions. They have a job or going to school, pay back taxes, and are contributing to society.","votes":"7","pct":50,"type":"x","order":"3","resources":[]}]["#194e84","#3b6b9c","#1f242a","#37414a","#60bb22","#f2babb"]sbar160160/component/communitypolls/vote/90-undocumentedNo answer selected. Please try again.Thank you for your vote.AnswersVotes